Ultra Creamy Easy Cannoli Cheesecake (No Eggs, Dairy Free, Gluten Free!)
This lush and creamy cannoli cheesecake tastes like cannoli- yet somehow better! With a crispy oat crust and easy creamy “mascarpone” cheesecake filling, you won’t believe that this cheesecake is vegan, dairy free, contains no eggs, and is gluten free. You’ll fall in love with this spin on a classic Italian dessert!
The Best of Cannoli and Cheesecake combined!
If you love cannoli and you love cheesecake, then let me introduce you to the perfect marriage of the two.
Yep, this cannoli cheesecake is it. It’s so creamy, lush and legit tastes like a cannoli in cheesecake form. And if you’re as obsessed with Italian desserts as I am, then you also need to try my vegan tiramisu cheesecake and vegan pistachio cheesecake!
This recipe is so delicious and easy, that went into my first cookbook. You don’t even need a water bath to keep the cheesecake moist. It’s THAT good.
We have a crispy and thick sweet crust that’s buttery and delicious, and filled with a light yet decadent and rich cheesecake filling that is reminiscent of ricotta thanks to one easy trick! And of course, it’s speckled with chocolate chips and a dusting of powdered sugar on top.
My Italian grandma, who just loves making cannoli (and tiramisù – it’s how I developed my vegan tiramisù!), was the one who actually suggested I try making our favorite dessert into cheesecake form. And she is just as OBSESSED as I am.
Oh, and not to mention, this cannoli cheesecake is entirely dairy free, no eggs, vegan, and gluten free- yet you’d absolutely never know 😉
Cannoli Cheesecake Ingredients
- Vegan cream cheese: If you’re not vegan, you might be wondering what vegan cream cheese brand to use. I recommend using Tofutti or Kite Hill. It will give you the best taste and texture!
- Vegan heavy cream: I like using Silk or Country Plant Crock. You can also sub in coconut cream!
- Dairy free sour cream: You can also use dairy free yogurt. For sour cream, try Forager Project- it’s amazing! The tanginess will be neutralized by the baking
- soda so that it tastes more like ricotta cheese, yet the creaminess of the yogurt will help yield that lush texture.
- Granulated sugar: Make sure your sugar is vegan!
- Cornstarch: This replaces our eggs in vegan baking, especially in cheesecakes. You can also sub in arrowroot starch.
- Baking soda: This is my secret trick to making this cheesecake taste like a cannoli! Baking soda neutralizes acidity, making it more basic and creating that super pleasant slightly sweet flavor found in both ricotta and mascarpone cheese.
- Vanilla bean paste: And vanilla extract!
- Chocolate chips: I recommend using vegan mini chocolate chips, like Enjoy Life!
- Oats: Use certified gluten free, like One Degree Organics, if you’re in need of gluten free! You can also substitute in graham crackers if you’d like more of a classic cheesecake flavor.
- Vegan butter: To help hold our cannoli cheesecake crust together.
- Cinnamon: For flavor in the crust!
Do I need a stand mixer? Not necessarily! You can make the cannoli filling simply with a large bowl and a hand mixer or electric mixer. However, I find a stand mixer with whisk attachment (instead of a paddle attachment) is really easy.
Overview: How to make Cannoli Cheesecake (vegan and gluten free!)
Can I make this a no bake vegan cheesecake?
You can definitely make this a no bake cannoli cheesecake if you’d prefer. Just omit the cornstarch. Since it’s not going into the oven, you don’t need the cornstarch there, which acts like eggs to bind the cheesecake.
However, keep the baking soda in the cheesecake batter. This is because as the cheesecake sits in the freezer to set (make sure you freeze the cheesecake for at least 2 hours), the baking soda will still neutralize the flavors in the cheesecake.
Can I use a graham cracker crust?
Yes, absolutely! If you’d prefer to use graham crackers instead of oats, you definitely can. You’ll still blitz the graham crackers in the food processor just as you would the oats. Press into your springform pan, and you’re good to go!
Topping ideas:
You can go with the classic light dusting of powdered sugar, like I did (make sure it’s vegan! I love using Florida Crystals) or you can jazz it up with:
- Piped vegan whipped cream
- Crushed pistachios
- Mini vegan cannoli on top
- Vegan ganache
There ya have it!
An easy and delicious vegan and gluten free chocolate chip cannoli cheesecake 🙂 Tastes just like a cannoli and is a pie for both summer and winter, spring and fall! Whenever you’re in the mood for your favorite Italian treat 😉
You’re just going to LOVE this unbelievably vegan cannoli cheesecake as much as my family does! Let me know how it goes in the comments below, and I cannot wait to see your creations on Instagram and Pinterest!
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Ultra Creamy Easy Cannoli Cheesecake (No Eggs, Dairy Free, Gluten Free!)
- Prep Time: 15
- Chilling time: 240
- Cook Time: 65
- Total Time: 5 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Cheesecake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This lush and creamy cannoli cheesecake tastes like cannoli- yet somehow better! With a crispy oat crust and easy creamy “mascarpone” cheesecake filling, you won’t believe that this cheesecake is vegan, dairy free, contains no eggs, and is gluten free. You’ll fall in love with this spin on a classic Italian dessert!
Ingredients
Oat crust:
- 2 1/2 cups (250 g) oats*
- 1/4 cup (55 g) melted vegan butter
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Cannoli Cheesecake filling:
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) dairy free yogurt or vegan sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy vegan cream or coconut cream
- 1 1/4 cup (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (70 g) cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups mini vegan chocolate chips, plus more for topping
- Powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Prep: Measure out all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375F, and line an 8″ or 9″ springform pan with parchment paper.
- Make the graham cracker oat crust: In a large food processor, pulse the oats, sugar, and cinnamon together until the oats are almost a fine flour. Pour in the melted vegan butter and mix together until you get a sandy clump texture.
- Bake the crust: Press the oat crust into the springform pan, working the dough partway up the sides of the springform pan (about an 1″ high) to create a rustic crust. Place the crust into the oven to bake for 10 minutes while you make the cannoli cheesecake filling. Remove from the oven and place the crust onto a baking sheet for ease in place the pan back into the oven later.
- Make the filling: In a stand mixer with whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the vegan cream cheese and yogurt until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Then add in the remaining ingredients, and continue mixing until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Fold in the chocolate chips: Remove the bowl from the stand mixer if necessary, and add in the mini chocolate chips. Fold in the chips to distribute evenly.
- Fill the cheesecake: Pour the cheesecake filling into the baked oat crust, and top with more chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Bake: Place the cheesecake on the baking pan into the oven to bake for 60-65 minutes, or until the top of the cheesecake is slightly golden brown, and the middle isn’t wiggling AS much, but it’s still a bit wiggly. It will set after chilling.
- Chill: Once baked, remove the cheesecake from the oven, and allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then cover the cheesecake, and allow it to set in the fridge for 3 hours, or overnight.
- Serve and enjoy: When ready to serve, carefully run a butter knife along the edges of the springform pan to remove the cheesecake from the sides. Carefully remove the springform pan side and serve the cheesecake. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar, slice and enjoy!
Notes
Oats: If you’re not gluten free or cannot tolerate oats, you can swap in an equal amount of graham crackers or gluten free graham crackers, and omit the sugar.
I decided to try & make this cheesecake for Thanksgiving, even though some of the comments almost deterred me. I used the recommended yogurt but I bought vanilla , I think I probably should have gotten plain. I did not have a runny mixture, It was perfect. I cooked it for 60 minutes.
The outcome: The cake consistency was good however mine was maybe to jello ish? Im not sure if it cooked to long, I have a large commercial over.
I did not taste cannoli at all. Growing up in an Italian family & now vegan, it’s hard to find anything that really resembles cannoli. I would attempt this again with plain yogurt & see if that makes a difference
Any advice if I were to make it in a muffin tin instead? How long would you recommend I try baking?
Hi! I made this earlier today! So yummy! Question though, I feel like the consistency is a little off? I followed all the steps.. I used coconut sugar so the color is a little darker. Sat for 5hrs in fridge. The texture is very gelatinous.
Hi Michelle! Hmm which vegan cream cheese did you use?
Violife, I have a cashew allergy. Do you have any brands that you like that are cashew free?
Oh if it’s just a cashew allergy, Kite Hill or Oatly are both great!
I used violife. I have a cashew allergy so options are limited. Do you have a cream cheese that would work that’s cashew free?
Can maple syrup replace the granulated sugar in the filling?
Not for this recipe, unfortunately!
Thank you thank you thank you for this recipe! As a vegan with a nut allergy it’s harder to find cheesecake recipes without cashews and that’s why I’m so happy my sister introduced me to your website. The cheesecake was a little runnier than the recipe said when I took it out of the oven which had me worried it wouldn’t set. However, the feeling of opening the fridge in the morning and seeing it had set fully was almost as amazing as the taste of the cheesecake itself! 😂 Thank you so much, and I’m so excited to try out the other flavours this summer! 🙂
I made this today for my sister and It’s birthday, and it came out AMAZING! I used the Kites Hill cream cheese, Forager sour cream, Silk heavy cream, cornstarch, and Earth balance butter, and it set up beautifully. Light and fluffy and delicious!
Baking for Easter~followed recipe to a “t” ~~absolute soup! After 65 mins~put back in the oven for a few more minutes!!! Still soupy~can’t imagine it’s going to settle & chill!! I’ll report back, but right now I’m very disappointed~~expensive experiment! 😡
Hi Kym- that’s totally normal!! The middle will be really wiggly because of the cornstarch- chilling in the fridge, it will completely set and be perfect in texture 🙂 Happens every time to me, it’ll wiggle a lot out of the oven, then set completely in the fridge. Hope that helps!
How much cinnamon do you use in the crust? I see it mentioned in the instructions but not the ingredient list. Thanks!!
Oh so sorry for that confusion, yes! 1 tsp cinnamon for the crust 🙂 Enjoy!
Thanks! This was so delicious, probably the best cheesecake I have ever made! I let it sit 2 nights in the fridge. The texture was perfect. Everyone loved it, and it looked awesome!
I used an 8″ springform pan and ended up with too much batter. So I just poured this into a small casserole dish and baked it along with the cheesecake. Bonus dessert!
I just made this last night and it was amazing! I used monk fruit sweetener and Kite Hill yogurt and we are obsessed. I only had a pie tin and I had enough batter to make four pies so I had to use a bunch of loaf pans and now I have two cheesecake loafs and a pie sized cheesecake! lol. Thank you!!
This looks amazing. I want to make this for my daughter and her college roommates for Easter. Can I put into 3 mini springform pans and freeze if I make now?
Hi Lisa! Oh yes that could definitely work!! Three 6″ mini springform pans? That would definitely work! Just place the cheesecake into the fridge the night before serving 🙂 Enjoy!
Are you able to use a non cane sugar substitute? I can’t have any forms of cane sugar.
Yes absolutely! Sub in granulated maple sugar or coconut sugar 🙂 It will have a slightly different flavor if that’s okay! Or you can potentially use a zero-calorie granulated sweetener, but I can’t guarantee results!
When you are mixing it, I’m using my kitchenmaid, is it supposed to look almost curdled? I’m worry I’m doing something wrong.
Hi Pal! I’m so sorry to hear that! Sometimes this can happen depending on the yogurt you’re using- which yogurt specifically did you use? It should still bake fine however!
What brand of coconut yogurt do you recommend using?
I recommend Culina!
I was worried that this wouldn’t work out for me because of the mixed reviews I had seen. But for me, it really worked- I was so elated when it worked.
I thought the flavor of the cheesecake was nice, not quite as similar to cannoli- I added some lemon zest to lift the flavor a little more, which seemed to work. Overall really lovely and my partner really enjoys it.
So so glad to hear it!! Love the addition of the lemon zest 🙂 Thank you for the review and enjoy!
I rarely ever comment on recipes, but with the mixed reviews on success with getting this to set, I wanted to post my positive experience! I was very skeptical given what I read, but I spent a bit of time gathering tips from the author through these comments. I used Miyoko’s butter, the brand Kefierkult coconut kefir yogurt (remember it’s important to ensure you use yoghurt that is strictly coconut and cultures) and I subbed corn starch for arrowroot powder ( I made sure it wasn’t expired and had been stored in an airtight container). Mine was really soupy when I took it out of the oven and it wasn’t even slightly set on the edges, but I took it out anyway and made sure to let it sit to cool for 15 minutes after (this is also really important). I placed it on the top shelf of my fridge (another good tip) and set the fridge temp to 2 degrees. I let it sit in there overnight and it set perfectly. I really believe that all these little details are important and making sure that your ingredients follow what is recommended to a T is also extremely crucial. It was absolutely incredible and my partner said it was the best vegan/gf dessert I have ever made (and that’s saying something because I bake a lot!) Thanks so much for this recipe!
Oh my goodness!! THANK YOU so so much for this comment! Truly so glad it turned out so well for you! Thank you for all of the tips and tricks you listed- this is so helpful for everyone else!! Enjoy and thank you again!